U.S. Soccer responds to USWNT's wage complaint
U.S. Soccer has responded to a wage discrimination complaint filed by five U.S. women's national team players against the federation.
On Thursday morning, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination in relation to the money the federation pays to the U.S. men’s national team. The complaint states that the USWNT is paid almost four times less than the USMNT, despite producing nearly $20 million in revenues for U.S. Soccer in 2015.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, U.S. Soccer pointed to its efforts to promote women's soccer.
“Our efforts to be advocates for women's soccer are unwavering. For 30 years, we have been a world leader in promoting the women's game and are proud of the long-standing commitment we have made to building women's soccer in the United States and furthering opportunities in soccer for young women and girls around the world. This includes leading the successful campaign to introduce women's soccer in the Olympics in 1996, the inclusion of prize money for the Women's World Cup, and the establishment and support of the National Women's Soccer League, which is now in its fourth year of play.
We are committed to and engaged in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses compensation with the Women's National Team Players Association, to take effect when the current CBA expires at the end of this year. U.S. Soccer will continue to be an advocate on the global soccer stage to influence and develop the women's game and evolve FIFA's compensation model.
After three unsuccessful attempts by private entities to maintain a women's professional league, U.S. Soccer committed to investing in and administering the National Women's Soccer League to ensure our women's players would have an ongoing professional environment in which to continue their careers. As part of this, Women's National Team players are paid full-time salaries and other compensation.
Development initiatives also remain a top priority for U.S. Soccer and we are continuously looking for innovative ways to facilitate player development at all levels. Since 2012, U.S. Soccer has employed a Women's Technical Director and invested in full-time coaches for the Youth Women's National Teams. Just recently, we announced the launch of a Girls' Development Academy Program in the fall of 2017 to further assist in maximizing female youth player development across the country. We are committed to continuing to elevate women's soccer in the future at all levels.”
• PODCAST: SI legal analyst McCann on USWNT vs. USSF lawsuit
Last month, U.S. Soccer sued the women’s national team players union over a labor agreement dispute.
